National Aviary

I went to Pittsburgh's National Aviary to take photos for The Pioneer. Can you say 'adorable'? I hate most birds, as most of you know, but penguins are by far the cutest animals on the planet.

Paws for the Cure Dog Walk

This morning, over 600 dogs and their owners walked to raise awareness and funds for the Susan G. Komen Foundation at Hartwood Acres. Although it was freezing and mud completely covered the ground, everyone, especially the dogs, were extremely happy to be a part of the cause. Here are some shots I took.

Jeremy and Ryanne Palermo with their dog, Molly.

Good (I mean, great) Reads

Today's music tends to make my ears bleed with how horrible it sounds and fake reality shows on MTV make me vomit. However, at least there are still good books out there to read to replace these disgusting things our society deems riveting. This past summer I was glued to a different book every few weeks, and I want to share those books.

First and foremost, Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Wow! This woman was raised strict Muslim and was exposed to violence against women at an early age. She was also circumcised at a very young age and forced into an arranged marriage. By some miracle, Ayaan realized her situation was an abuse of human rights and managed to get out. She became a member of the parliament in the Netherlands, and now lives in D.C. under 24-hour security due to death threats she constantly receives due to her stand against Islam and the violence it promotes. Ayaan is one of the smartest people I can think of and has so many brilliant ideas. Please read Infidel, and also The Caged Virgin, a book of essays she has written. Absolutely amazing.

The End of Poverty is written by Jeffrey Sachs, and if you are at all interested in international aid or bringing an end to AIDS, malaria or extreme poverty, READ THIS. Sachs is an economist who ended Bolivia's hyperinflation in ONE DAY... yes, one day. He has so many amazing, yet simple and realistic ideas on how to end extreme poverty in our generation. The book is full of facts that no one can even try to deny. For example, "every day our newspapers could report, 'More than 20,000 people perished yesterday of extreme poverty.'" And, what made my blood boil, "The United States spent as much in Iraq for two weeks of support for the war (about $2.5 billion) as it does for an entire year of economic development assitance in Africa. In its first two years, the Iraq war cost about $60 billion per year, roughly the same increment needed to reach .7 percent of GNP (gross national product)." This minute increase of .7 percent is all it would take for the U.S. to help end extreme poverty by 2025. So, if you are at all interested in this topic, this is the book for you.

Now, on a lighter note, if you love to laugh and if you love people who say whatever is on their mind and spark controversy, you HAVE to read Kathy Griffin's memoir, titled Official Book Club Selection. This woman is by far the funniest comedian I can think of besides Ellen, of course. This book highlights everything from her childhood, her parents, her struggling career, her failed marriage (brought to an end when her husband stole $75,000 from her bank account) to her short-lived "romance" with Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. Hilarious. Seriously. Buy this book and you'll laugh the entire time you read it.

Walk for Child Rights 2009

I went to the Walk for Child Rights sponsored by CRY (Child Rights and You) earlier today and took some shots not only for myself but also for the organization. For those of you who do not know, this organization works with local NGOs in India to raise awareness among India's people so they can recognize the rights they are entitled to. More than 240 million children are underprivileged in India, and that is completely unacceptable. If you want to learn more, go to america.cry.org for more information.